More Picking Patterns for Guitar Chords – Create Pro-sounding Variations With Your Guitar Chord Picking

Creating and using repeating picking patterns for guitar chords is a great way to add a very cool sound to your guitar playing. Today we are going to learn to use two guitar chord picking patterns and look at how they are constructed so that you can use these ideas to create your own picking patterns.

The first picking pattern is based on an eight note repeating sequence with the pick hand. The pick hand is going to play the same pattern no matter what chord is being played with the fret hand. The guitar chord picking sequence of notes for this pattern is:

Lowest note (root) of the chord (5^th string in this case)
4^th string
3^rd string
2^nd string
3^rd string
4^th string
3^rd string
4^th string

It may be easier for you to memorize the pattern in two groups of four notes. Think of the string numbers, like this:

5, 4, 3, 2

3, 4, 3, 4

Remember, this sequence only applies to the strings we are picking in this pattern. This picking pattern will be used with all the chords we use in this first example. To get used to playing this pattern with the pick hand, finger a C chord with your left hand and hold it. Play the sequence of notes slowly for a few minutes while keeping your fret hand in the C chord shape. By just staying in one chord shape, we keep the fret hand part simple and allow the focus to be on developing and memorizing the pick hand sequence. This is a very good way to initially practice all picking patterns for guitar—it gives the pick hand time to really learn the pattern.

Here are the chords we are going to use for our first guitar chord picking pattern:

3 2 1

G/B

1 3 4

2 3 1

The next step is to make sure that you have memorized the chord fingerings. Take some time to make sure your fret hand is comfortable changing from chord to chord.

Now that you have the eight note guitar chord picking pattern for the pick hand and the fret hand chords, here is the full picking sequence.

Remember to keep the flow of notes smooth and constant with no gaps in between them. You don’t need to play them at a fast tempo for the guitar chord picking pattern to sound great.

Chord picking patterns for guitar can also be played using a six note repeating sequence. Pattern number two uses a G and Cadd9 chord:

2 1 3 4

Cadd9

2 1 3 4

Other than being a six note pattern instead of eight, the primary difference when using the G and Cadd9 chords is the location of the bass (bottom) note in each chord. The G chord bass note is on the 6^th string and the Cadd9 is on the 5^th string—this means that our picking pattern will vary slightly with each chord. When playing the G chord, the pattern is going to skip over the 5^th string. Other than the bass note, the rest of the picking pattern is exactly the same with both chords.

Take your time learning and getting comfortable with these picking patterns. Split your practice into isolating the chord and picking hands and practice them separately with a focus on the chord changes and a continuous flow of notes with the pick hand. There are many variations and these two guitar chord picking patterns are just a start. Apply these patterns to different chords and come up with your own picking pattern variations—the possibilities are many. Listen for guitar chord picking patterns in your favorite guitar music—they are very common and you will hear them often.

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